Homework: Marketing Lemonade
I. Corporate Structure
1) How is the corporation structured at present?
• Is the decision-making authority centralized around one group or decentralized to many units?
• Is the corporation organized on the basis of functions, projects, geography, or some combination of these?
2) Is the structure clearly understood by everyone in the corporation?
3) Is the present structure consistent with current corporate objectives, strategies, policies, and programs, as well as with the firm's international operations?
4) In what ways does this structure compare with those of similar corporations?
II. Corporate Culture
1) Is there a well-defined or emerging culture composed of shared beliefs, expectations, and values?
2) Is the culture consistent with the current objectives, strategies, policies, and programs?
3) What is the culture's position on environmental sustainability?
4) What is the culture's position on other important issues facing the corporation (that is, on productivity, quality of performance, adaptability to changing conditions, and internationalization)?
5) Is the culture compatible with the employees' diversity of backgrounds?
6) Does the company take into consideration the values of the culture of each nation in which the firm operates?
II. Corporate Resources
A. Marketing
1) What are the corporation's current marketing objectives, strategies, policies, and programs?
• Are they clearly stated or merely implied from performance and/or budgets?
• Are they consistent with the corporation's mission, objectives, strategies, and policies, and with internal and external environments?
2) How well is the corporation performing in terms of analysis of market position and marketing mix (that is, product, price, place, and promotion) in both domestic and international markets? How dependent is the corporation on a few customers? How big is its market? Where is it gaining or losing market share? What percentage of sales comes from developed versus developing regions? Where are current products in the product life cycle?
• What trends emerge from this analysis?
• What impact have these trends had on past performance and how might these trends affect future performance?
• Does this analysis support the corporation's past and pending strategic decisions?
• Does marketing provide the company with a competitive advantage?
3) How well does the corporation's marketing performance compare with that of similar corporations?
4) Are marketing managers using accepted marketing concepts and techniques to evaluate and improve product performance? (Consider product life cycle, market segmentation, market research, and product portfolios.)
5) Does marketing adjust to the conditions in each country in which it operates?
6) Does marketing consider environmental sustainability when making decisions?
7) What is the role of the marketing manager in the strategic management process?
B. Finance
1) What are the corporation's current financial objectives, strategies, policies, and programs?
• Are they clearly stated or merely implied from performance and/or budgets?
• Are they consistent with the corporation's mission, objectives, strategies, and policies, and with internal and external environments?
2) How well is the corporation performing in terms of financial analysis? (Consider ratio analysis, common size statements, and capitalization structure.)
• How balanced, in terms of cash flow, is the company's portfolio of products and businesses? What are investor expectations in terms of share price?
• What trends emerge from this analysis?
• Are there any significant differences when statements are calculated in constant versus reported dollars?
• What impact have these trends had on past performance and how might these trends affect future performance?
• Does this analysis support the corporation's past and pending strategic decisions?
• Does finance provide the company with a competitive advantage?
3) How well does the corporation's financial performance compare with that of similar corporations?
4) Are financial managers using accepted financial concepts and techniques to evaluate and improve current corporate and divisional performance? (Consider financial leverage, capital budgeting, ratio analysis, and managing foreign currencies.)
5) How does finance adjust to the conditions in each country in which the company operates?
6) How does finance cope with global financial issues?
7) What is the role of the financial manager in the strategic management process?
C. Research and Development (R&D)
1) What are the corporation's current R&D objectives, strategies, policies, and programs?
• Are they clearly stated or merely implied from performance or budgets?
• Are they consistent with the corporation's mission, objectives, strategies, and policies, and with internal and external environments?
• What is the role of technology in corporate performance?
• Is the mix of basic, applied, and engineering research appropriate given the corporate mission and strategies?
• Does R&D provide the company with a competitive advantage?
2) What return is the corporation receiving from its investment in R&D?
3) Is the corporation competent in technology transfer? Does it use concurrent engineering and cross-functional work teams in product and process design?
4) What role does technological discontinuity play in the company's products?
5) How well does the corporation's investment in R&D compare with the investments of similar corporations? How much R&D is being outsourced? Is the corporation using value-chain alliances appropriately for innovation and competitive advantage?
6) Does R&D adjust to the conditions in each country in which the company operates?
7) Does R&D consider environmental sustainability in product development and packaging?
8) What is the role of the R&D manager in the strategic management process?
Marketing Lemonade Worksheet
Scenario
Your team is looking for a way to make some revenue as either a for-profit or not-for-profit organization. This organization can market locally, nationally, or internationally, and can be a privately-owned company or a franchised organization. The product that you have decided to sell is lemonade. To make the endeavor work, you will have to define a marketable form of the drink and decide on a target market.
Your marketing team's mission is to prove through research, strategy development, and reasoning why this form of this product is viable and will meet the company's goals. In the first half of this project, your team will complete this worksheet to report on the following:
• Target market
• Product's definition to the target market
• Viable pricing strategy
• Brand's position in the competitive environment
Complete the Following
Select a company name and determine the real business world industry of operation.
Company Name Industry of Operation
Describe the new and unique form of lemonade that will be launched by your company in no more than 90 words.
Complete the chart describing your organization in no more than 90 words.
Industry of Operation Mission and Values How Is Your Organization Different from Other Organizations?
Identify the composition of the target market and segmentation criteria in no more than 90 words each.
Composition of Target Market
Segmentation Criteria Used in Identification
Describe how you will define the lemonade to your target market (including information on packaging, labeling, etc.) in no more than 90 words. Determine how this adds value and differentiates the brand and product from the competition while encouraging the target market to buy.
Definition to Target Market Differentiation
Compare your company with industry competitors in no more than 90 words for each competitor.
Top Business Industry Competitors Your Company's Positioning
Define the pricing strategy that you will use for the introduction of the product in no more than 90 words.
Discuss the maturity life cycle stages of your product in no more than 90 words for each stage.
Stage of Maturity Life Cycle Discussion
Describe how you will use suppliers, agents, or distributors to create your distribution channel in no more than 90 words.
Format your homework according to the give formatting requirements:
1. The answer must be double spaced, typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the course title, the student's name, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The references and Citations should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.
Text Book: Strategic Management and Business Policy- GLOBALIZATION, INNOVATION, AND SUSTAINABILITY by Thomas L. Wheelen, J. David Hunger, Alan N. Hoffman and Charles E. Bamford, FIFTEENTH EDITION.